Health guide
Partial paralysis/paresis
Paresis means weakness or incomplete loss of movement. It is a sign rather than one disease and may follow trauma, paramyxovirus, salmonellosis, toxins, nutritional imbalance or damage to nerves and organs.
How to recognise it
- Dragging or weak leg, dropped wing, poor grip, inability to perch or asymmetric movement.
- Check for wounds, swelling, abnormal limb angles, pain, head tilt, tremors and changes in droppings or thirst.
- Sudden or progressive weakness, especially with breathing difficulty or inability to eat, is urgent.
Usual treatment approach
- Use a low, padded enclosure without perches and prevent falls while arranging prompt veterinary assessment.
- Diagnosis may require neurological and orthopaedic examination, X-rays, bloodwork and infectious-disease or toxin testing.
- Treatment targets the cause and may combine pain relief, fluids, nutritional correction, antimicrobials, fracture care and supervised physiotherapy.
Sources and further reading